Hello Family!
So, I applied last week’s message and decided to set aside intentional quality time with Jesus in the morning. My time management isn’t great (YET), so adding Jesus into my morning routine was not the easiest decision but it was worth it. I felt lighter in the morning, more enthusiastic about my day, and I felt genuinely recharged by the quiet time I had set aside with Jesus.
PRO TIP FOR THOSE ADDING ‘QUALITY TIME WITH JESUS’ TO THEIR DAILY ROUTINE: Do a time of day that works for you!
You never want to feel like spending time with God is a chore. Why? Because who enjoys doing chores?
If you’re not strategic and intentional about the time of day and the amount of time you spend with God, it can be tempting to rush through it.
In my quiet time this week I’ve been wrestling with L-O-V-E. I have learned that I tend love conditionally and selfishly. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s loved like this… but that’s not the point.
We, believers in Jesus Christ (i.e. Christians), are taught to love like Jesus. How do we love like Jesus when we’ve been betrayed? Neglected? Hurt? It almost seems like loving conditionally is the “safest” option in a world full of hurt and pain; this could not be any further from the truth.
The truth is, loving like Jesus makes us more like Him. Loving like Jesus does not exempt us from heart break, feeling bitter, or resentful. Loving like Jesus DOES put our hearts in a posture to be protected by God.
Hebrew 6:10-12 (NLT) reads, “10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. 11 Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. 12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.”
God will not forget how hard you’ve worked to love those who seem unlovable. God will not forget, nor turn a blind eye, to you sacrificing your natural desire to get revenge on the people who have hurt you. God has not forgotten about you; God will not forget about you. God genuinely loves you and still has your best interest at heart.
1 John 4: 7-8 (AMP) reads, “7 Beloved, let us [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience]. 8 The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.]”
I’ll leave you with a few questions to carry into your week/end:
Do you know God for who He says He is?
Do you love yourself? Are you [unselfishly] loving other?
How do you plan to become more loving? Considerate? Selfless?
How can you see your behavior, in love, positively effecting your relationships and life?
My hope is that you become more whole, whether you desire to add more of Jesus into your day-to-day schedule, learn to genuinely love (yourself +) others, or simply learn how to be honest about how you feel with God and others.
REMEMBER: Every part of your life matters, even the parts you don’t share with the world (i.e. via social media, with friends, family, associated, coworkers, etc.). God is love, so never feel like you have to work for the FREE gift of LOVE.
I love you and Jesus loves you most. May we both grow in love as we grow to understand how God loves us and how to love others.
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CITATION:
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
Thank you girl this is AMAZING!
“If you have to work for it, it’s NOT LOVE!”
This is good stuff Leeyah…thanks soo much for sharing!!!🧡